Thursday, September 1, 2016

Poor Persecuted Perkins

In a hyperbolic fund-raising email, hate group leader Tony Perkins writes: “PUBLIC ENEMY #1: Christians in the U.S. military.” The head of Family Research Council continues with “President Obama's dangerous obsession:
Making the U.S. military a God-free zone.” Personally I must concede that I did not know that about our president.

President Obama has a plan to revamp America's armed forces. And it doesn't involve improving the combat readiness of our troops. Instead he is bent on undoing the faith tradition of the U.S. military that has motivated servicemen and women since Valley Forge.

If Mr. Perkins is going to wave the flag with references to Valley Forge perhaps he should take a moment or two to read the United States Constitution (preferably one that has not been edited and annotated by his buddy David Barton). Were he to actually do so, Perkins would learn that we are a secular nation and that, by intent, we do not make people subservient to religion — not even the one held by a majority of our citizens.

The ellipses in the following paragraph are in the original text:

While the president and his radical allies on the far left make the military "welcoming" to those who consider themselves transgendered . . . provide "married" housing for same-sex couples . . . push military gay pride events . . . and send our daughters and granddaughters into combat, the proud tradition of religious faith in our armed forces is being systematically dismantled.

Perkins is demanding that the Department of Defense conform its policies to his flavor of Christianity. That means no gays, no transgenders and no women in combat. What's left are to engage in a 24/7 prayer fest. Hosanna and Halle-fucking-lujah! The presence of, say, a gay soldier in no way affects the religious freedom of Mr. Perkins or anyone else for that matter. Shall the mess hall not serve bacon because doing so might offend Jewish and Muslim troops? If Perkins eats a pork chop that does not bother the most conservative rabbi in the chaplaincy. How can the presence of a woman in combat offend Perkins' inflated sense of self and self-righteousness?

If we do not act now, the U.S. military will soon become a God-free zone. We simply can't afford to let that happen. That's why I am contacting you today.

Perkins is contacting me today to grub for money and what he really means is that the U.S. military might become a religion-free zone since service members have the same First Amendment free exercise rights as all other citizens. Sending Perkins money doesn't do much more than to coarsen our discourse. In the year ended September 30, 2014 Perkins paid himself (in direct cash) $220,700 so there's that too.